Fish rod handle



15, 1933- w. F. HOERLE El AL 1,923,035

FISH ROD HANDLE Filed Nov. 23, 1932 Ernest JPardo TTORNEY- Patented Aug. 15, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FISH ROD HANDLE necticut Application November 23, 1932 Serial No. 643,964

10 Claims.

This invention has for its main object the provision of a convenient and reliable construction for supporting a reel offset from the main axis of the handle and which can be made at a com-- paratively low price.

A special object is to provide a handle construction of this character which can be made out of sheet metal.

Another object is to provide a construction having a minimum number and simplicity of parts.

Another object is to provide a construction of this character which will securely hold a reel in place and which can be, conveniently operated.

Another object is to provide a construction of this character which affords a resilient and comfortable grip.

In carrying out the invention the handle member is formed of a single strip of metal having its ends formedinto tubular portions for supporting upper and lower grip members and with its central portion offset and provided with longitudinal depending flanges which provide a groove or channel beneath or behind the reel seat.

The lower end of the reel seat is provided with a stationary pocket or holder for the lower end of the reel plate, and a sliding holder for the upper end of the reel plate is mounted on the upper end of the reel seat. The reel seat is preferably slotted at its upper end and the sliding holder has lugs which project through the slots into the channel or groove in the rear. A lever having a resilient finger piece and clamp is hinged to these lugs and swings between the side flanges.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a construction embodying the invention and showing in dot and dash lines the parts of conventional grip portions, the butt'of the fish rod and a reel.

" Fig. 2 is a rear view illustrating the parts of the invention in the preferred form.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 2 but on a larger scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the clamping member and finger piece in the released position.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the upper real plate holder on the same scale as Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the clamping member on the same scale as Fig. 3. v

The handle member is formed of sheet metal with its ends rolled or curled into tubular portions 7 and 8 adapted to support suitable grip members 9 and 10. The upper end 8 is adapted to provide a socket for the butt end of the fish rod 11' and the grip 10 may be omitted. The grip 9 may be glued in place or held in place by a washer or butt plate 9', and screw 9" seated in 9. lug 7 bent over at the lower end of the tube 7.

The central part of the handle member is provided with an oifset or drop type seat 12 adapted to accommodate the plate 13 of any suitable type of reel 14.. Flanges 15 are integral with the edges of the reel seat 12 and project rearwardly or downwardly so as to form a groove or channel between them. Grooves 16 are also preferably provided along the edges of the reel seat 12 to position the reel plate.

A pocket or holder 1'? is provided at the lower end of the reel seat to receive the lower end of the reel plate 13.

A second holder 18 is slidably mounted on the upper end of the reel seat to hold the upper end of the reel plate. This holder has side flanges or lugs 19 which preferably project through slots 20 into the groove in the back of the reel seat.

' A combined clamp and finger lever is formed of resilient metal and has an eccentric clamp portion 21 and a finger piece 22 and ears 23 at opposite sides supported on the hinge pin or rivet 24 between the lugs 19 of the sliding holder.

This finger piece and clamp is adapted to swing from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 4 about the hinge pin 24 as a pivot. To fasten the reel in place it is merely necessary to swing the finger piece and clamp to the position shown in Fig. 4, then insert the lower end of the reel plate in the pocket 17 and slide the holder 18 down over the upper end of the reel plate. The finger piece or lever is then swung from the position of Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig.

1. The spring portion 21 being shaped eccentric with respect to the pivot pin 24 engages the back of the reel seat and is compressed gradually as the finger piece 22 is swung downwardly, thus providing a strong spring grip for holding the strap-like holder 18 and the reel plate in place.

The lever is provided with a portion 25 which serves as an abutment for a portion of the finger lever between the pivot 24 and the hook-like end. This offset portion engages the back of the reel seat in about the center thereof, leaving the hook portion projecting for engagement by the finger.

It will thus be seen that there is a spring-like trigger action provided by the lower end of the lever which provides a comfortable grip, enabling the fisherman to hold the rod firmly and yet resiliently instead of rigidly supporting the finger 110 while using the rod.

Means are also preferably provided for holding the finger lever resiliently in the two extreme positions even when the reel plate is not in place. For this purpose one or both of the lugs 19 may have a projection 26 for engaging the adjacent ear 23 of the finger lever. In the position shown in Fig. 1 this projection engages a curved cam-like surface 2'? of the finger lever and in the position shown in Fig. 4 the projection 26 engages in a recess 28 in the adjacent ear. It will be understood that this action is made possible because of the fact that the strap-like holder 18 and the finger lever are formed of resilient sheet metal, which can be made accurately to size and secured together by the rivet pin 24 and yet permit a certain amount of yielding spring action.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the clamping device is very largely housed and guarded in the groove between the flanges 15 at the rear of the reel seat and yet the hook-like end of the finger piece 22 projects sufficiently for convenient engagement by the finger of the hand which grasps the grip portion 9.

The parts all being simple and formed of sheet metal can be made cheaply and according to standard patterns. At the same time the construction is very light and yet strong.

We claim:

1. A fish rod handle member formed of sheet metal having front and rear grip portions and an intermediate offset reel seat portion with downwardly extending side flanges, a holder for the rear end of a reel plate at the rear of said offset portion, and a sliding clamp for the forward end of a reel plate having a finger piece at least partially housed between said flanges.

2. A fish rod handle comprising a grip at the lower end and a rod-receiving socket at the forward'end with an intervening offset reel seat having downwardly projecting flanges forming a groove between the flanges, a reel plate holder at one end of said offsetportion and a sliding reel plate holder at the opposite end of said offset portion, and a clamping member for the latter holder at least partially housed in the groove between said flanges.

3. A fish rod handle member having a hand grip at each end and an intermediate offset reel seat portion withdownwardly projecting flanges forming a groove between them, a reel plate holder at the rear end of said offset portion and a sliding reel plate holder 'at the forward end of said. offset portion, and a lever attached to the latter holder and having a portion slidable in the groove between said flanges said lever having a finger piece at its rear end.

4. A fish rod handle member formed of a single strip of sheet metal with its ends consisting of tubular sections provided with hand grips and an intervening offset portion constituting a reel seat having downwardly projecting side flanges with a groove between the flanges, holding means for a reel plate at the forward and rear ends of said offset portion, one of said holding means being slidable in the offset portion and provided with a locking device located in the groove between said flanges, said locking device having a finger piece with its shank housed in said groove.

5. A fish rod handle member having a hand grip at its lower end and having a rod-receiving socket at its upper end with arr-intermediate offset reel seat portion with downwardly projecting flanges forming a groove between them, a reel plate holder at the lower 'end of the seat portion and a sliding reel plate holder at the forward end of said seat portion, said sliding holder having lugs projecting into the space between said flanges, a finger piece hinged to said lugs and having a spring finger integral therewith adapted to engage the underside of the reel seat to resiliently hold the finger piece in position.

6. A flsh rod handle member having upper and lower tubular portions and an intermediate offset portion constituting a reel seat having downwardly projecting flanges forming a groove between the flanges, a reel plate clamp slidable on the reel seat portion and having lugs in said groove, a finger piece hinged to said lugs between said flanges, said finger piece having a hook at its lower end, and an offset projecting portion between the hook and the hinged end serving as a spring abutment for the finger piece.

7. A fish rod handle having a reel seat, a plateholding strap slidably mounted on the front of the reel seat and having lugs projecting at the rear, a finger lever having ears overlapping said lugs and having a clamping eccentric, a rivet in said lugs and ears providing a hinge support for said lever, said lugs and ears having projections and recesses coacting to resiliently hold the lever with the clamping eccentric in the released position.

8. A fish rod handle member formed of a single strip of sheet metal with its ends consisting of tubular sections provided with hand grips and an intervening offset portion constituting a reel seat having downwardly projecting reinforcing side flanges with a groove between the flanges, holding means for a reel plate at the forward and rear ends of said offset portion, one of said holding means being slidable on the offset portion and provided with a locking device, said locking device having a finger piece with a portion of its shank housed in said groove.

9. A fish rod handle member formed of sheet metal and having a hand grip at its lower end and having a rod-receiving socket at its upper end with an intermediate offset reel seat portion with downwardly projecting reinforcing flanges forming a groove between them, a reel plate holder at the lower end of the seat portion and a sliding reel plate holder at the forward end of said seat portion, said sliding holder having lugs projecting into the space between said flanges, a flnger piece hinged to said lugs and having a cam adapted to engage the underside of the reel seat in said groove to hold the finger piece in position.

10. A fish rod handle member of sheet metal having upper and lower tubular portions and a reinforced intermediate offset portion constituting a reel seat, a reel plate clamp slidable on the reel seat portion and having lugs projecting therefrom, a lever hinged to said lugs and having a resilient clamping cam at its upper end and having a finger hook at its lower end, and an offset projecting portion between the hook and the cam serving as a spring abutment for the lever intermediate the finger hook and the hinged end.

WILLIAM F. HOERLE. ERNEST J. PARDON. 

